Torange Khonsari

Torange Khonsari is Co-Founder and Director of the design, public art, and architecture practice Public Works since 2004, an interdisciplinary practitioner working on co-production methods in art, architecture, urbanism, systems thinking, democratic institutional design, and public/community partnership models. Public Works is on the GLA’s ADUP (Architecture Design Urbanism Panel) framework. Khonsari is co-director of the Centre for Applied Research in Empowering Society (CARES) at London Metropolitan University. Her projects directly impact designing tactics to grow public land ownership, democratic governance, and community development. She works with local organizations, communities, government bodies, and stakeholders.

 

Torange has had 24 years in academic teaching in architecture and design. She is currently teaching on the suite of postgraduate and doctoral courses she wrote called Design for Cultural Commons at London Metropolitan University, where she is the course leader. She is Unit Master at the Architectural Association, developing methods to bring digital (Blockchain and AI) and real-world public and common good together. She has taught at international universities such as UMA School of Architecture in Sweden, unit leader at Royal College of Art - London, as well as a visiting professor at Barbican and Guildhall School of Music and Drama. She is currently visiting professor at the International University of Barcelona on the MA - Emergency Architecture.

 

Torange delivered a TEDx talk on Harnessing the Power of Civic Commons. She completed being a consultant on the five-year framework on the Mayor of London’s Specialist Assistant Team for community engagement in regeneration. She is a chartered designer and an expert adviser for the Design Council. She has been invited to be one of the 9 experts on Design Council’s initiative Design for Planet fellowship 2021/22.